THE CUBA REVIEW 



37 



AGRICULTURAL AND HORTICULTURAL 



CUBAN FRUITS 



There are few places where nature has hid- 

 den her gifts so bountifully as in Cuba. This 

 is especially true about the tropical fruits of 

 that region. Besides the well-known banana, 

 orange, lemon, lime and fig there are many 

 fruits that are vuiknown to us. There is the 

 mango, which grows on a tree similar to our 

 apple tree. It grows in long bimches and it is 

 yellow in color. It is very juicy when it is 

 ripe. Then there is the sapotilla, which has a 

 white bell-sha])ed flower that is quite as frji- 

 grant as our orange blossom. It has a deh- 

 cious fruit the size of a peach in a rough russet 

 skin. One of the strangest fruits is the star 

 apple. It is so called because when cut in 

 half a star appears in the center. It is eaten 

 with a spoon and tastes like strawberries and 

 cream. There are a number of wild fruits that 

 can be cultivated. Among these is the custard 

 apple. It is green in color, tough skinned and 

 full of small black seeds.— Atlanta (Ga.) Con- 

 stitution. 



GRAPE FRUIT 



A simple method of botthng the juice of 

 grapefruit for use in making acid beverages is 

 advocated by the I'nited States Department 

 of Agriculture as a means of gaining a useful 

 by-product from hvmdreds of thousands of 

 cases of grapefruit which now are wasted. An 

 investigation was undertaken at the urgent re- 

 quest of Florida grapefruit growers who re- 

 ported that the market during the season 

 would not take up a large pro]iortion of the 

 grapefruit crop, and asked the Department 

 to determine the possibility of utilizing the 

 fruit or its juice in some profitable way. 



All that is necessary, according to the Gov- 

 ernment's fruit juice specialists, is to bring 

 the grapefruit juice to the boiling point in a 

 porcelain-lined or enameled kettle, pour it 

 while still hot into bottles, which then are 

 hermetically sealed. The juice when so 

 handled will keep indefinitely, and provides a 

 base for gra]3efruit-ade or other acid bever- 

 ages having the characteristic acid, somewhat 

 bitter, flavor of the fruit. Experiments show, 

 however, that it is highly important that the 

 bottle be completely filled, so that no layer of 

 air be left between the top of the juice and 

 the cork or seal. Where air in any amount 

 comes in contact -with the top of the sterilized 

 juice it will cause the juice to change its color. 

 In handling the juice it is particularly im- 

 portant that it be kept from coming into con- 

 tact with iron or other metals easily acted 

 upon by acids. 



The investigators found also that it was 

 possible to freeze the grapefruit juice into 

 solid ice and then bj' whirling the ice in a cen- 

 trifugal machine, to take out a large part of 

 the water and leave the solids and flavoring 

 matter of the fruit. This freezing and concen- 

 trating of the juice greatly reduces the Inilk 

 and makes a product which can be sterilizerl 



h\ heating and kept indefinitely. Care must 

 be taken to keep the juice from coming in 

 contact with iron. 



Those who ^\'ish to make a clear juice, may 

 filter the grape fruit juice before it is heated 

 by adding to it from 2 to 3 per cent (about 3 

 ounces avoirdu])ois to the gallon) of infusorial 

 or Fuller's earth well washed with hot water. 

 The mixture is then forced through a non- 

 metallic filter in-ess and the clear juice re- 

 heated and boiled. With the freezing process, 

 the juice is filtered after concentration, about 

 twee the amount of infusorial or Fuller's- 

 earth being used per gallon of concentrate. 



The chemists, in connection with this bot- 

 tling of grapefruit juice, notify the public that 

 the same process is not suitable for botthng 

 the juice of oranges and lemons, which will 

 not retain their flavor if handled in this waj^ 



While as yet, as far as known, there is no 

 commercial market for sterilized grapefruit 

 juice, it is ])elieved that many persons wiU 

 find this juice with the addition of water and 

 sugar, a pleasant variation from lemonade or 

 limeade. Those who like grapefruit should 

 find the beverage inviting. The method is so 

 simple that those in regions where grapefruit 

 are cheap and plentiful can prepare this pro- 

 duct on a small scale with ordinary'- household 

 appUances. 



CULTIVATION OF MALANGA 



The Governor of Santa Clara has forwarded 

 to the Secretarj^ of Agriculture some interest- 

 ing figures relating to the profits to be made 

 on the cultivation of malangas. Averaging 

 the cost of renting a caballeria of land at .$139 

 per year, it is shown that the total cost per 

 caballeria, inclucUng planting, rent of oxen, 

 fertUizer, etc., is .$288.03, while the average 

 production amounted to 1,628 arrobas of 

 malangas, which sold for $488.40. 



Thus it will be seen that the average profit 

 on a caballeria of malangas was $200.37. The- 

 malanga, or arum, is a farinaceous tuljer of 

 excellent food value; a caballeria is equal to 

 33 1-3 acres, and an arroba is equal to 25 

 pounds. 



TRYING NEW SERUM FOR DISEASES 

 OF CATTLE 



Some time ago Srs. Acosaa and Company, 

 representatives of Cuba of the Pasteur Labor- 

 atories, sent to the President a new serum, 

 which is said to be highly efficacious in all 

 microbic diseases affecting cattle. This pro- 

 duct is known as Eucamphol. 



The President has handed the sample to 

 General Xmiez, Secretary of Agriculture, and 

 many experiments have been made by Drs. 

 Crespo and Luaces, the two veterinary sur- 

 geons attached to the department, and the- 

 stuff is now going to be an extensive trial at the- 

 station at Santiago de Las. 



